The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

Glovers Walk

Glovers Walk

Yeovil's
1960s 'quasi-Brutalist'
Shopping Centre

The 1950s and
1960s was a
period of
dramatic change
in post-war
British
architecture.
Indeed, during
this period
hardly an
English town
escaped dual
carriageways and
massive town
centre
redevelopment in
concrete and
prefab tiles -
Yeovil was no
exception.

Victorian
architecture
argued for
extrinsic
beauty, beauty
from the
associations
that came from
the various
styles of
architecture
that they
plundered for
inspiration. The
Moderns argued
for intrinsic
beauty, in other
words that the
structures
themselves
contained
inherent
properties that
were beautiful.
Beauty was to
express the
function of a
building and its
structure, so a
new rule of
design was
developed.
Architecture as
art was replaced
by the
architecture of
service. An
architecture
without style
where the form
was determined
solely by the
function. (Dr
Simon Thurley,
2013 Lecture -
Coming to Terms
with Modern
Times: English
Architecture in
the Post-war
Era.)

The term
Brutalism is
used to describe
a form of
architecture
that flourished
from the 1950s
to the
mid-1970s,
descending from
the modernist
architectural
movement of the
early 20th
century.
Brutalism became
popular for many
government
projects,
high-rise
housing, and
shopping centres
to create an
architectural
image that
communicated
strength,
functionality,
and frank
expression of
materiality.
More recently,
"brutalism" has
become used
colloquially to
refer to
buildings of the
twentieth
century that are
large or
unpopular – as a
synonym for
"brutal."

Yeovil's Glovers
Walk project was
designed and
built during the
height of the
Brutalist period
although it
never quite
achieved the
true harshness
of Brutalism -
even though the
term has been
applied to
Glovers Walk.
Thought to be
uncompromisingly
modern at the
time, this trend
in architecture
perhaps like no
other style
before or since,
aroused extremes
of emotion and
debate - which
only appears to
escalate today.
Some regarded
Yeovil's Glovers
Walk buildings
as monstrous
soulless
structures of
concrete, steel
and glass,
whereas others
saw the genre as
a logical
progression,
having its own
grace and
balance.

Today in Yeovil
opinion is still
divided over the
architectural
style of Glovers
Walk compared
with what it had
replaced. Many
yearn, with a
mostly nostalgic
reminiscence,
for the old
Yeovil full of
character that
had been torn
down and
replaced by
soul-less
concrete. In
truth, however,
what had gone
before was
reaching the end
of its life in
any case and was
beginning to
appear somewhat
dingy and shabby
- the
Coronation Hotel
& Vaults,
only just over
fifty years old
at the time of
its demolition,
perhaps being
the exception.

Indeed the row of shops
facing
Middle Streetand running
from
Vicarage Street
to
Central Road,
was just a small
part of what was
lost to the
Glovers Walk
development,
although this
stretch of
Middle Street is
clearly the most
obvious face of
change. To many
people's minds
this short row
of buildings are
the
representative
part of Yeovil's
character that
was 'lost to
progress'. Behind
these shops
however was a
large area of
disused former
leather dressing
yards and glove
factories
stretching
almost as far as
Earle Street, as
seen from the
maps below.

In recognition
of the fact that
Brutalism (or,
in Yeovil's
case,
quasi-Brutalism)
had run its
course, Yeovil's
next shopping
complex project,
the Quedam, was
designed in a
more traditional
manner while
attempting to
project a more
traditional
'village' feel.

maps & Aerial
photographs

This map, based
on the 1912
Ordnance Survey,
shows
the new road -
Central Road -
overlaid in
pink. Unusually,
the sole
victim of
'progress' in
this case was
the
Railway Inn
facing Station
Road. To its
left is the area
that would later
become the
Glovers Walk
shopping
precinct - the
Coronation Hotel
marked at bottom
left and just a
few shops facing
Middle Street.
The bulk of the
site that would
become the
Glovers Walk
complex was a
mass of glove
factories and
leather dressing
yards that were
mostly disused
by the 1950s.

This 1946 aerial
photograph shows
the eastern end
of Vicarage
Street at left,
the Triangle
towards bottom
left and Middle
Street running
across the
bottom of the
photograph as
far as Central
Road in the top
right quadrant.
At centre are
seen the mass of
glove factories
and leather
dressing yards.

The modern
aerial
photograph of
the Glovers Walk
shopping
complex, again
with the remains
of Vicarage
Street at left,
the Triangle
towards bottom
left and Middle
Street running
across the
bottom of the
photograph as
far as Central
Road in the top
right quadrant.
Glovers Walk
complex is seen
at centre
running the
length of this
section of
Middle Street
and extending
north to include
the bus station
at centre right.
The large
building at top
left is part of
the Quedam
shopping centre
of the 1980s.

gallery - what was
replaced by glovers walk

A
hand-coloured
postcard dating
to 1905 and
looks down
Middle Street
from the
Triangle. At
left is the
Coronation Hotel
and Vaults
marking the
western end of
what would
become the Glovers Walk
complex. The
Coronation was
one of Yeovil's
most magnificent
buildings and
was only just
over fifty years
old when it was
demolished.

A postcard of
around 1912 of
Lower Middle
Street looking
towards the
Triangle with
the new
Co-operative
Society building
built in 1910.
The large
building at
right was
Commercial
Buildings.
All the
buildings at
right were
demolished for
the Glovers Walk
shopping
precinct project
of the 1960s.

This photograph
dates to the
mid-1960's and
shows Lower
Middle Street
with Commercial
Buildings at
centre next to
the
Railway Tavern
at right. At far
right is
Central
Road and the
photograph was
taken from
Station Road
(now called
Old Station Road
/ South Western
Terrace). The
Railway Tavern
is the site of
today's
William Dampier
that marks the
eastern end of
the Glovers Walk
complex.

gallery

Photographed in
1967 and looking
back towards the
Triangle. At
centre the
Glovers Walk
project is
underway and at
right the old
shops are empty
and awaiting
demolition.

A photo from the
1970s. Many
thanks to Gordon
Rogers, who
writes "As a
young lad I won
a fancy dress
competition as a
character from
TV's
Thunderbirds
and, together
with Lady
Penelope, opened
the Key Markets
store in Yeovil
(now The William
Dampier). Part
of the prize
meant that I was
driven around
town in the
six-wheeled
Rolls Royce with
Lady Penelope
and Parker."

Courtesy of
Gordon Rogers

Gordon poses
with Lady
Penelope.

Courtesy of
Gordon Rogers

Every young
boy's dream -
getting to ride
in the
six-wheeled
Rolls Royce with
Lady Penelope.

Courtesy of Rob
Baker

Glovers Walk in
the very early
1980s. Lots of
shoppers and no
pigeons!! Also,
there is a shop
to the right of
Acorn Records
which would very
soon disappear -
see next photo.

The escalator
was installed to
link Glovers'
Walk with the
new Quedam
shopping
precinct.

The Glovers'
Walk escalator
in use. Do you
remember the
display kiosk?

gallery - glovers walk
Today

.... and
today, looking down
Lower Middle
Street from the
Triangle. The
flower-bedecked
bandstand at far
right replaced
the underground
toilets (much
nicer) and the
featureless mass
of 1960s
concrete and
reconstructed
stone cladding
replaced some
wonderful old
buildings - you
can decide for
yourself on the
merits/demerits
of 1960's
architecture,
but I'm pretty
sure I know what
most Yeovilians
think.
Photographed in
2009.

The interior
precinct of
Glovers Walk
seen from Middle
Street
(photographed
early on a
Sunday morning
in 2015). This
area had been
mass of disused
glove factories
and leather
dressing yards.

The interior
precinct of
Glovers Walk
looking south
from the bus
station end with
the covered
escalators
leading to the
Quedam centre
right of centre.
Photographed in
2015.

The covered
escalators
leading to the
Quedam centre.
Photographed in
2015.

Less
Brutalist, more
reminiscent of
1970s Council
housing -
featuring
brickwork and
infill panels
(compare this
with much of the
Council housing
around St John's
Road).
Photographed in
2015.

The quasi-Brutalist
facade of
Glovers Walk
facing Middle
Street - now in
need of a bit of
TLC.
Photographed in
2015.

The William
Dampier
- the eastern
extremity of the
Glovers Walk
project. Photographed in
2012.